Christian Standard Bible

The Bible is meant to be read, understood and shared.

The ultimate purpose of the Christian Standard Bible is to draw readers into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God. By translating ancient Scripture texts into the clearest possible modern English, the CSB allows readers to experience the Bible at its fullest.

Developed by 100 scholars from 17 denominations, the Christian Standard Bible captures the Bible's meaning accurately without compromising readability, helping you experience the faithful and true Word of God.

Pastors trust its accuracy and faithfulness to the original languages. Christians young and old appreciate its readability and clarity. It's a Bible you can preach from and a Bible you can give to a neighbor who's never read God's Word. The CSB is a translation for everyone. Discover the difference.

The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) is a highly trustworthy, faithful translation that is proven to be the optimal blend of accuracy and readability. It's as literal to the original as possible without sacrificing clarity. The CSB is poised to become the translation that pastors rely on and Bible readers turn to again and again to read and to share with others.

How is the Christian Standard Bible different from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)?

The Christian Standard Bible is a revision of the HCSB, updating translation and word choices in order to optimize both fidelity to the original languages and clarity for a modern audience. The Translation Oversight Committee, co-chaired by Drs. Tom Schreiner and David Allen, incorporated advances in biblical scholarship and input from Bible scholars, pastors and readers further hone both accuracy and readability.

What denominations were involved in creating the CSB?

One hundred scholars from 17 denominations translated the HCSB from the original Hebrew, Greek and Aramai manuscripts. Keeping that trans-denominational focus, the revision and oversight committee of the CSB is comprised of top biblical scholars from a variety of conservative, evangelical denominations, including Southern Baptist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, conservative Anglican and non-denominational Bible churches.

How does the Christian Standard Bible compare to other translations?

The CSB lands in the sweet spot between the more formal ("word-for-word") translations and more dynamic ("thought-for-thought") translations. An independent analysis has proven that the Christian Standard Bible is the optimal combination of fidelity to the original languages and readability for a modern audience. The CSB was created using Optimal Equivalence, a translation philosophy that balances contemporary Englist readability with linguistic precision of the original languages, making it ideal not only for preaching and study, but for sharing with others.

Why should I choose the Christian Standard Bible over other Bible translations?

The CSB is an original translation: more than 100 scholars from 17 denominations translated directly from the best available Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic source texts into English. Its Greek source text is the standard used by scholars and seminaries today.

The CSB is trustworthy: the conservative, evangelical scholars of the CSB affirm the authority of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God and seek the highest level of faithfulness to the original and accuracy in their translation. These scholars and LifeWay, the non-profit ministry that stewards the CSB, also champion the Bible against cultural trends that would compromise its truths.

The CSB is clear: it is as literal a translation of the ancient source texts as possible, but, in the many places throughout Scripture where a word-for-wrod rendering might obscure the meaning for a modern audience, it uses a more dynamic translation. In all cases, the intent is to convey the original meaning of God's Word as faithfully and clearly as possible.

Who provides oversight of the CSB?

Holman Bible Publishers, a division of LifeWay, is the non-profit ministry that holds the copyright of the CSB and is responsible for its stewardship and its commercial publishing.

Why was the word 'Holman' removed from the name of the translation?

Holman Bible Publishers has a proud heriatge as the oldest North American Bible publisher, dating back to 1743. While the publishing entity retains that name, the Holman name in the name of a Bible translation often created more questions than answers (who was Mr. Holman?). "Christian Standard Bible" removes those questions and increases appeal to the broad audience that the CSB is designed to serve.

Optimal Equivalence

The CSB was created using Optimal Equivalence, a translation philosophy that balances contemporary English readability with linguistic precision of the original languages. In the many places throughout Scripture where a word-for-word rendering is clearly understandable, a literal translation is used. When a word-for-word rendering might obscure the meaning for a modern audience, a more dynamic translation is used. This process assures that both the words and thoughts contained in the original text are conveyed as accurately as possible for today’s readers.

On one hand, the CSB provides a highly accurate text for faithful sermon preparation and serious study, translated straight from the biblical languages by scholars who love God’s Word. It is impeccably faithful and true to the original. On the other hand, it does not compromise readability and clarity for those who may be less familiar with the traditional (and sometimes difficult) vocabulary retained in some translations of the Bible. The CSB has been proven to achieve fidelity to the original languages of the Bible without giving up clarity.

Translation Continuum Chart

Some translations prioritize the form of the original text, while some prioritize its meaning in today’s language. The Christian Standard Bible, like the New International Version, resides in a mediating position on the continuum of Bible translations. You’ll find it to be highly trustworthy and deeply satisfying.

Exceptional Biblical Scholarship

Over 20 years ago, a team of more than 100 top conservative scholars from 17 denominations came together with one common vision: to create an original English translation meticulously faithful to the ancient Scriptures and exceptionally clear to understand. With the benefit of up-to-date manuscript discoveries and significant advances in research, these translators, reviewers, and stylists exhaustively scrutinized ancient source texts — including the critical Greek text favored by scholars — to determine every nuance of original meaning and intent. The result was a Bible that not only shines by academic standards, but is also remarkably enjoyable to read — The Holman Christian Standard Bible.

Revised and Improved

To ensure the very best balance of fidelity and clarity, top biblical scholars have reviewed the full text of the Holman Christian Standard Bible, based on feedback from pastors, seminaries, and other conservative denominations. Providing Bible readers with a translation that’s even more accurate and readable, this revision, called the Christian Standard Bible, will be available early in 2017 in a wide variety of editions.

Faithful Stewardship

The conservative, evangelical scholars of the Christian Standard Bible affirm the authority of Scripture as the inerrant Word of God. Seeking the highest level of faithfulness to the original and accuracy in their translation, these scholars and LifeWay, the non-profit ministry that stewards the HCSB, also champion the Bible against cultural trends that would compromise its truths.

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